Final Former Employee Interview Report Santa Susana Field Laboratory Site Area Iv Radiological Study Ventura County, California
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FINAL FORMER EMPLOYEE INTERVIEW REPORT SANTA SUSANA FIELD LABORATORY SITE AREA IV RADIOLOGICAL STUDY VENTURA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Prepared for: EPA Contract Number: EP-S7-05-05 Task Order Number: 0038 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7 901 North 5th Street Kansas City, KS 66101 and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9 75 Hawthorne Street San Francisco, CA 94105 Prepared by: HydroGeoLogic, Inc. 5800 Woolsey Canyon Road, Building 204 Canoga Park, California 91304 October 2012 Redacted This page was intentionally left blank. Redacted TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background ................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Purpose ....................................................................................................................... 2 2.0 METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................................. 2 2.1 General Process .......................................................................................................... 2 2.2 Solicitation of Interviews ........................................................................................... 3 2.3 EPA Interviews .......................................................................................................... 4 2.4 Joint DOE/EPA Interviews ........................................................................................ 5 2.5 Follow-Up Interviews ................................................................................................ 6 2.6 Confidentiality ........................................................................................................... 7 3.0 RESULTS ............................................................................................................................ 7 3.1 Summary of Results ................................................................................................... 8 3.2 Interview Highlights .................................................................................................. 9 4.0 CONCLUSIONS................................................................................................................ 10 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 3.1 EPA Interview Results Summary Figure 3.2 DOE/EPA Joint Interview Results Summary LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix A EPA Interview Script/Questions Appendix B Sample Aerial Photograph Annotation Appendix C DOE/EPA Joint Interview Script/Questions Appendix D EPA Interview Summaries Appendix E DOE/EPA Joint Interview Summaries i Redacted This page was intentionally left blank. Redacted LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS AEC U.S. Atomic Energy Commission AI Atomics International Boeing The Boeing Company DOE U.S. Department of Energy EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ETEC Energy Technology Engineering Center HSA historical site assessment KEWB Kinetics Experiments Water Boiler NAA North American Aviation, Inc. RMHF Radioactive Materials Handling Facility SRE Sodium Reactor Experiment SSFL Santa Susana Field Laboratory STIR Shield Test and Irradiation Reactor iii Redacted This page was intentionally left blank. Redacted FINAL FORMER EMPLOYEE INTERVIEW REPORT SANTA SUSANA FIELD LABORATORY SITE AREA IV RADIOLOGICAL STUDY VENTURA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA 1.0 INTRODUCTION This report presents the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) efforts to interview former employees working in Area IV of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL). The interview project was a critical component in developing an accurate historical site assessment (HSA) for the SSFL, as well as informing EPA’s Area IV radiological characterization study. 1.1 Background SSFL is located approximately 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, California, in the southeast corner of Ventura County. It consists of approximately 2,850 acres of hilly terrain. SSFL is separated into four administrative areas that reflect historical operations and ownership. Areas I, II, and III were used for rocket engine testing, while Area IV was used for nuclear research and development. EPA is currently conducting a radiological characterization study of Area IV. In 1947, North American Aviation (NAA) established SSFL for testing of liquid-fueled rocket engines and associated components. Later uses of SSFL included nuclear energy research and development activities. NAA’s rocket development division became known as Rocketdyne and the nuclear research division became known as Atomics International (AI). Rocketdyne later became part of Rockwell International Corporation and in 1996 was bought by The Boeing Company (Boeing). Beginning in 1953, AI conducted two types of research sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and its predecessor agency the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC): civilian nuclear energy research; and testing of liquid metals in non-nuclear components. These operations were conducted within 90 acres of SSFL Area IV. The facilities within these 90 acres would later be referred as the Energy Technology Engineering Center (ETEC). The nuclear energy research activities became increasingly active from 1953 through the late 1960s. After that time, activities declined until 1988, when most nuclear operations ceased. A few facilities remained active beyond 1988. As a result of operations conducted at SSFL, many buildings and land areas became radiologically and chemically contaminated. Starting in the early 1990s and continuing to the present, DOE has been performing decontamination and decommissioning activities of the nuclear facilities in Area IV. 1 Redacted Santa Susana Field Laboratory Final Former Employee Interview Report October 2012 1.2 Purpose A key purpose of EPA’s interview effort was to verify and add to the overall understanding of past operations at SSFL Area IV. First-hand knowledge from former employees was included as a component of EPA’s HSA. The HSA, in turn, served to support decisions made for the Area IV radiological characterization study, specifically by directing soil sampling teams to potential source areas of radiological contamination. Interviewee information strengthened the accuracy and completeness of the HSA and helped to focus sampling efforts. Interviewees were able to provide operational information of interest including specific radionuclides of concern at SSFL; locations where radioactive material was used and handled; waste management and disposal practices; and descriptions of incidents, releases, or unusual occurrences. This information aided in the understanding of where potential contamination may exist. Accounts of SSFL operations by the employees who worked there provided confirmation of documented evidence, information lacking from the historical record, and a depiction of how standard operating procedures were put into practice. EPA’s HSA summarized interviewee information as it pertained to specific building areas. The HSA was one of many lines of evidence EPA used to select soil sample locations in SSFL Area IV to further characterize the region. 2.0 METHODOLOGY EPA’s interview effort occurred in two phases: an effort by EPA alone, and a joint effort between EPA and DOE. DOE simultaneously conducted its own interview effort, which is described further in DOE’s document titled Santa Susana Field Laboratory Former Worker Interviews. This section will describe the general interview process, including the identification, screening, and interviewing of former SSFL employees through both the EPA only and joint DOE/EPA efforts. It will also discuss the pursuit of follow-up interviews and protection of confidentiality. The former employee interviews conducted by EPA and EPA/DOE were completed by multiple personnel in multiple teams. These personnel were all familiar with the SSFL site and the EPA/DOE missions at Area IV. Individual interviewers were as follows: Mr. Gregg Dempsey, EPA Mr. Andrew Taylor, EPA Ms. Kimberly Clower, HGL Ms. Wendy Green Lowe, P2 Solutions 2.1 General Process Interviewees were identified directly by EPA and DOE in one of two manners: public advertising or direct mailing. To maintain privacy, DOE reached out to former SSFL employees originally through letters mailed by Boeing, while EPA initially solicited interviews through a public news release and newspaper advertisements. Additionally, former employees were identified indirectly through conversations with community stakeholders, document reviews, screening phone calls, and full interviews. These individuals also were sought out for interviews. 2 Redacted Santa Susana Field Laboratory Final Former Employee Interview Report October 2012 Upon receiving the name of a former employee through any one of the methods described above, EPA and/or DOE conducted research to determine or verify contact information and then reached out to the former employee via telephone. If the former employee was willing, a brief screening call was conducted to collect basic information, ensure the former employee worked in SSFL Area IV, and confirm whether the employee would be agreeable to an in-depth interview. Interviews were generally conducted in person at the former employee’s home. Audio recordings and/or notes were taken during the interviews and transcribed into interview summaries. Aerial photographs were used to help orient former employees to the site during the time of their employment